Jennings' Hot Start For Bucks May Open Marketing Possibilities

Jennings' Rookie-Record 55-Point Output Part
Of Reason His Marketability Is On The Rise

Rookie Bucks G Brandon Jennings’ hot start to the season, which has included a 55-point game against the Warriors on Saturday, has left his advisers at BDA Sports Management and shoe sponsor Under Armour considering “what kind of marketing potential” he has, according to a front-page story by Don Walker of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Before the season began, there “wasn’t any buzz” around the Bucks, but Jennings has “taken care of that problem in short order with a mixture of style, flash and swagger.” It is “way too early to say whether all that talent and poise will translate into marketing and endorsement gold,” as Jennings is only 20 years old, and the “list of can’t-miss athletes who disappeared from the limelight is long.” Still, both BDA VP/Marketing Bill Sanders and Under Armour “say the phones have been ringing.” Jennings on Tuesday appeared at the Children’s Outing Association’s Goldin Center in Milwaukee as part of a “long-term strategy Jennings’ advisers have mapped out.” Sanders said, “Our vision with Brandon is that this is a marathon, not a sprint. We want to build a long-lasting portfolio. There are opportunities for him, but that’s a short-term vision.” Walker reports Jennings is “prominently featured” on Under Armour’s Web site with videos, blogs and a “list of his accomplishments.” However, Jennings said that he “did not want to think about the endorsement opportunities.” Jennings: “Basketball comes first. It’s something I love to do. If it (endorsements) happens, it happens” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/18).

BRINGING THE BUZZ BACK: In Milwaukee, Michael Hunt writes Jennings might cause the city "to re-embrace the Bucks like they haven’t been hugged" since ’01, when the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Jennings’ arrival “might help counterbalance some of the problems inherent to a small-market, seemingly moribund franchise facing arena issues.” Nothing “sells like a star at the fore of an emerging team, providing it wins.” Bucks G Michael Redd: “The crowd is more into it. There’s a serious buzz. Brandon has a lot to do with that Buzz. He was a needed spark. He brings charisma and a flair to the team” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/18).